”I would be suspicious if you didn’t.” Dominique replied.

”…Um, why do I have the feeling there’s something more specific you want to know?” Elisa noticed.

Dominique smiled a little. ”You are perceptive, I like that…” She said a little softly, walking back the few steps across the kitchen and taking a bite of food from one of the plates and popping it in her mouth, pleased with the taste.

”So?” Elisa asked, apparently a little amused with her.

”I suppose I just find it…” Dominique shook her head a little and looked off across the room at nothing in particular. ”I don’t trust easily, Detective Maza… Elisa.” She said, looking over and meeting her host’s eyes again. ”I suppose, I’m just looking for… reassurance. That my secret will be safe with you, that I can… that you really are as trustworthy as you seem to be.” She explained, for some reason finding herself being very careful of her words.

”Oh, well… I guess that makes sense, or I’m sure it does.” Elisa said a bit abstractly, actually feeling a little hurt somehow, though she realized it was stupid to feel that way. Maybe this whole thing was stupid for her to have gotten mixed up in with the first place. She felt she hadn’t really had a choice though. In addition to it plainly having been the right thing to do, the fact that it was also plainly in her job description (well, aside from the taking the assault victim home with her part), and that the she found the whole thing completely interesting and exciting, she had to admit to herself, she always did have a soft spot for strays too. That’s how she ended up with Cagney after all, not that Dominique could be compared fairly to a house cat. Add it all up with the way Dominique took her breath away a little, and she hadn’t really had a chance.

”Don’t misunderstand me, I’m… I’m very grateful for your help last night, it’s simply, it was simply very unexpected, that’s all.” She explained, looking away from Elisa again.

”It’s all right.” Elisa said. ”…maybe we can answer more of each other’s questions while we eat? …I wouldn’t want the food to get cold.” She asked, trying to rally her mood and self-assurance.